Baz Luhrmann’s Next is The Great Gatsby

Baz Luhrmann (Australia) has officially acquired rights to “The Great Gatsby,” says The Hollywood Reporter. Luhrmann sees the pre-Depression story as a wake-up call as the economy comes crashing down and another gilded age, as he sees it, comes to an end.

“If you wanted to show a mirror to people that says, ‘You’ve been drunk on money,’ they’re not going to want to see it. But if you reflected that mirror on another time they’d be willing to.”

He added, “People will need an explanation of where we are and where we’ve been, and ‘The Great Gatsby’ can provide that explanation.”

He said that he wants to move quickly on the “Gatsby” project. “I’m going to move faster than I have before. I’d be surprised if it’s another seven years,” he said, referring to the period between Moulin Rouge! and Australia. The project also might not be with Fox.